Tag Archives: School

At my school, we have an amazing new building we are moving in to. We had the big move this week and I observed some interesting behaviours during this time. One of them was the reluctance of teachers to throw away books that had definitely seen a better day and generally things that, well, you just shouldn’t keep any more. I don’t really know why teachers like to keep things. Maybe it’s just the idea that it might come in handy one day. I know myself that when I am in ‘Op Shops’ or at markets, I’m always thinking “oh, that would be good for school” and I usually buy it. What do you think? Do you like to hang onto things that really should be chucked out?

I have some exciting news in regard to Irlen Syndrome. For those of you who don’t know about Irlen, stay tuned , as I will post more information about what it is etc later. But for now, the newsflash is Stuart Ritchie, Psychology Department, The University of Edinburgh, has notified us that a chapter on dyslexia in an edited volume by the University of Edinburgh’s Sergio Della Sala entitled “Neuroscience in Education,” to be published in 2011 by Oxford University Press, will talk about Coloured Lenses and the Irlen Treatment.

“Hopefully in your personal life you have worked out what you want from your partner, family or friends. I am sure you have worked out what you want from your manager or the school you work at. Have you ever taken the time to ask your students what they want? I have a wonderful exercise that I do with students. I divide the class into teams of 4 or 5. I give each team a large sheet of butchers paper and some colored markers. Then I ask them how their teachers can support them and help them achieve the results they want in their lives. Teams have 20 minutes to discuss the question and brainstorm or list their answers. When they are complete. I give each team 3-5 minutes to discuss and pick their top 5 items from the list. Each team then shares their results with the whole class. I have asked this question of students for many years and almost without exception I have gotten the following items in many of the teams’ top 5 items: 1.I want my teachers to know me by name. 2.I want my teachers to listen to me. 3.I want my teachers to respect me. 4.I want my teachers to take me seriously. I invite you to do this activity with your students to see what their answers are and how they align to my results. As the principal of a school, why not try this activity with your staff. I would go so far as preparing your own personal and private list of things you expect to be on the top 5 list. See how well you know your team, or how well you think you know your team. In the coming weeks – maybe even years – I will discuss the terms “listen to me”, “respect me” and “take me seriously”. These are vitally important concepts, that go the absolute heart of what it means to be a human being. You see if you are not listened to, respected or taken seriously, aren’t the people around you ignoring you? “

I subscribe to this blog written by Trinidad Hunt. I thought I would share it with you.

“For the last 30 years I have been saying that Relationship is Everything! Today there is a growing body of evidence that supports the notion that student engagement begins with relationships. Students need to feel connected to the adults in their schoolenvironment. The more connected they feel the greater the positive impact this has on everything from academics to social and emotional behavior. So how do we do this? How do we make students the center of everything we do as we move through our busy day on campus? How do we help students feel connected to us and to every adult on the school grouds? The 3-6-9 Rule that I developed and deliver to every school community that I work in will help you. Teach it to every adult member of your school community and ask for committed practice of the 3-6-9 Rule from everyone on the team. When walking across the campus or standing in the hallways or office areas… 3 – Look up, smile and say hello to every person who passes within 3 feet (1 metre) of you. 6 – Look up, smile and nod at every person that passes within 6 feet (2 metres) of you. 9- Look up and nod at every person that passes within 9 feet (3 metres) of you. Let every adult on the campus know how important they are in the lives of students. Their connection on any given day and at any given moment could be what makes that students day! Invite everyone to have fun with this. Make it a game to see how many students you can connect with during the day. And of course, if you know their name use it! Students love to be acknowledged by their names!!”